Happy Hour: that transcendental space between drinking too early and drinking too much

Happy Hour: that transcendental space between drinking too early and drinking too much. We all know what it’s like rushing out of work early to catch discount suds at the local dive. Some of us do it daily. But I’m not here to tell you about just any old happy hour. None of that dollar-off Bud Lite or Coronita nonsense. Take my hand, thirsty one, as we embark upon a journey through downtempo tea time, tranny-oke, Tijuana stormtroopers, line dancing, entire pitchers of hard liquor, and into the great beyond. Close your eyes. Make a wish.

The Rook

Happy hour: 5–7pm, daily

It was a sad day for uptown electronic music fans — not to mention inebriate chess aficionados ­— when Kadan closed its Czech castle doors last August to make way for bougie concept eatery Soda & Swine. Chris Heaney’s new venture, The Rook, continues the tradition of medieval board games and weaponry without, for better or worse, Kadan’s signature Eastern European oubliette ambiance. Sample organic tea from local importers The Whole Leaf at the monthly Experimental Tea Sessions (6–8 p.m., beers start at $2) to a soundtrack of ambient and downtempo music from Brokenbeat DJs WalkNasty and Her Majesty.

The Go Lounge

Happy hour: 4pm–7pm, daily; closed Sundays

This friendly rock-and-roll joint gets what happy hour is all about. Which is to say, pints of choice giggle water including G’Knight Imperial Red, Arrogant Bastard, and Black Market Hefeweizen at $3 a pop (4–7 daily; closed Sundays), plus $2 Jack shots with any beer, any time, and $3 wells all day long. Want more? Take $2 you-call-its from 9–11 every Tuesday. In addition to monthly art shows, Go hosts cult movie Monday’s on the back patio, local music every Thursday with KPRI host Cathyrn Beeks, live bands on Fridays, and DJ dance parties on Saturdays.

Redwing Bar & Grill

Happy hour: 4–7pm, daily; all day Wednesdays

Famous for their surly, transgender karaoke starlets, Redwing is home to one of uptown’s finest drinking patios. Their specials are many, but highlights include $3 appetizers/wells/domestic bottles, $4 wings, and $5 burger/fries Monday through Friday (4–7 p.m.; all day Wednesdays); $.25 wings from 5 to 10 Mondays; dollar tacos from 5–10 and $3 Cuervo margaritas from 6 to close on Tuesdays; $3.50 tall boys Thursdays from 6 to 8 followed by trivia; $1.50 domestic drafts and $3 shot-of-the-day ’til 6 on Fridays; and $1 beers and $6 burger/beer from 2–6 Sundays.

Black Cat Bar

Happy hour: 5–7pm, Monday–Friday

Black Cat Bar is an endeavor of former Turf Club bartender Matt Parker, a self-proclaimed Halloween and Disney enthusiast whose penchant for the macabre led him to model the old Bank of America–cum-dive manor after the Happiest Place on Earth’s haunted mansion. Avoid crossing paths with the bar’s resident black cat, Behemuth, while boozing in the Addam’s Family’s living room to a jukebox soundtrack of eclectic oddities including ESG, Amon Düül II, and Os Mutantes. The spirits come out Monday through Friday, 5–7 p.m., when wells are $3.50 and Matt’s fetid martini goes for a five-spot.

California Kebab & Beer Garden

Happy hour: 3–6pm, Monday–Friday

A breath of fresh air for the debaucherous Neverland of PB, Cali Kebab caters to more refined sensibilities with an ocean view from their 1000-square-foot al fresco patio. Turn up the happy on weekdays from 3–6, when sides and most of the 23 taps are half-off, including selections from Societe, AleSmith, Ballast Point, and the in-house brewery, Amplified Ale Works. Specializing in Döner Kebabs and locally-sourced salads, this beachfront brew house is garnering prominence for their farm-to-table Sunday beer & bacon brunch (10–2, $20) with rosemary potatoes, a smoked-cheddar scramble, french-toast crostini, and four pairings.

Pal Joey’s Cocktail Lounge

Happy hour: 4:30–6:30pm, Wednesday–Friday

Pal Joey’s cobblestone façade can be deceiving. Judging from the outside, you might think it’s just another strip-mall cesspool bumping elbows with a Foster’s Freeze, and, before it changed hands and got a makeover about five years ago, you’d be right. Now, Pal Joey’s, which may or may not be named after the 1957 love-triangle flick starring Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak, and Rita Hayworth, feels almost regal. Celebrity portraits peer out over the bar’s fixture post-prime clientele, who show up in droves for $3.50 personal pitchers (W–F, 4:30–6:30), karaoke, live bands, comedy, trivia, and goldfish races. That’s a real thing.

Da Boyz Pizza & Pasta

Happy hour: 2–6pm, and 9pm–close, Sunday–Thursday

Pizza and beer. They go together like North Korea and hollow threats. But, unlike the late Dear Leader’s bellicose rhetoric, Da Boyz in East County is, in fact, da bomb. And here’s why. Sunday through Thursday (2-6 and 9-close), select wines are $3/glass and a pint of brew goes for $2. Anything but a bluff, taps spit the usual domestics in addition to Red Trolley, Tower 10 IPA, and Da Boyz Pale Ale (it’s Redhook), all of which run at a non-menacing $1.50 all day on Tuesdays. Happy-time cocktails are $5, Jack/Fireball shots are $3, and appetizers are $4.